A Whole New World
by Sarai Girl
Summary: This story is about a girl named Sarai, fleeing from Tyra with her grandfather. She is then taken in by Numair and Daine and becomes a new style of warrior. This is set after Lady Knight, and before Trickster's Choice. Please read and review. I am open to
1. Tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Tamora Pierce related (except her books of course) but I don't steal. So, if you read this story don't steal my characters or ideas. Okay? Thankies.  
  
The beginning...  
  
Sarai looked around her, not knowing what to do. She saw the men emptying the house and packing away her family's fortunes. She almost cried when they beat her grandfather, who knelt on the ground in front of them. They had her entire family kneeling in the mud in front of them. The rain beat down is huge sheets. The storm had come the morning before and wouldn't stop for the all the stars in the sky. Sarai hid behind a large log on the other side of the dirt walkway that was considered a road. She had gone to the city to bring back some grain and milk for baking bread for dinner but had returned to see what had happened.  
The thieves had come swiftly and unnoticed. Her family had been caught unaware and she held herself responsible since she was supposed to be home that morning, and her mother in the city. But as it happens, her little brother had gotten sick the night before and had forced Sarai to go to the city for her mother. But looking on now, Sarai could see her brother shivering with fever, her mother with tired eyes from weeping, and her grandfather shaking from cold kneeling in the cold mud as they got soaked through.  
"Aye men, let's be goin'." One of the ten men said as he came out of their humble shack. "The're aint nothin' here." He walked up to his horse and looked at Sarai's family. "Kill 'em." Sarai looked on with horror as a few of the other men drew daggers and attacked her family. She almost screamed when she saw her grandfather. He had seen her, and he shook his head slightly as they came forward to kill them. "Wait, dunt kill the auld one. He'll die of cold soon 'nough." The men mounted their horses and rode away.  
Sarai couldn't look at the bodies of her mother and brother. She was in tears as she slowly approached her grandfather. He was still kneeling in the mud, but the shakes in his shoulders no longer were just from the cold.  
"Oh grandfather, what shall we do? Poor mother and dear little Johnny." She cried flowing hot tears as she helped her grandfather to stand. She looked at the bodies and saw the rain splatter the blood on their faces.  
"We do nothin'. We mun get outta here." Her grandfather disappeared into the house. Sarai followed him and gasped at the wreckage. The straw beds had been cut open and strewn about, the dishes broken and all of their metals taken. She carefully raised the floorboards near her bed and sighed with a little relief. Her mother's jewelry and her father's old sword and bow were still there.  
"Where do we go?" Sarai looked around and saw her books open with some pages torn out. She carefully collected her belongings and found an old grain sack and stuffed them into it.  
"We go away, far away. We mun go to Tortall. They be safer places fer us to live." Her father had spoken of such actions before her died those many years ago. Sarai, now eighteen, remembered her father when he was alive, but only barely.  
"But grandfather, how can we go there? We have no money, no means to stay alive." She cried again. "And how can we just leave mother and Johnny like that?"  
"There aint anythin' we cun do fer dem." Her grandfather came over to her, with a similar sack full of belongings.  
"Well, there is one thing we can do. You need to change into dry clothes." Her grandfather disappeared to his part of the shack as Sarai looked out the window. She knew that when they do get to a city, she would have to do the talking; her grandfather's country talk could get them nowhere. Hopefully an educated tongue would help better. They won't take us for granted, at least not as much if my grandfather spoke.  
"We mun go." Her grandfather appeared with a large rain hat he used on the farm and a sturdy water proof cloak that was identical to the one Sarai was wearing.  
"Okay." Was all Sarai said she closed the door behind them, and thought of a life away from Tyra, and one of Tortallan ideals and experiences. 


	2. Surprising Changes

DISCLAIMER I don't Tamora Pierce, thus she owns her own creations, and I own MINE! NO STEALING! Okay? (  
  
Surprising Changes....  
  
Sarai paced around the room they were in. The room contained a small bed pushed against the wall near a small window. The room was just big enough for her to walk three paces both ways.  
"Where is he?" Sarai was anxious; her grandfather had gone to speak with the Inn Keeper but had yet to return. "He has been gone long enough." Sarai opened the door and looked behind her. The two sacks containing their belongings were neatly hidden under the bed. Closing the door, she brought out the key that the Inn Keeper and given them. Locking the door behind her, Sarai looked down the halls, seeing if anyone was coming. It was dimly lit and hard to see. She was trying to figure out where the stairs were when a maid came walking up the stairs with two young gentleman. They didn't carry anything, but were wearing large cloaks that told Sarai they didn't want to be seen.  
After the maid opened a door next to Sarai's room, she handed the keys to the men, who quickly entered and closed the door. "Excuse me, miss?" Sarai touched the maid's arm lighting, speaking softly. The maid jumped, but smiled when she saw who it was.  
"Yes ma'am. What may I do for you?" The maid straightened her cap on her head and waited.  
"Have you seen an old man with a slight slump in his walk? My grandfather hasn't returned to the room as of yet, and I getting worried."  
"Oh yes, I have seen him. He is down in the common room, drinking a pint with a Tortallan guardsmen heading back to Corus. He was just released from border duty." The maid motion for Sarai to follow her. Down stairs Sarai quickly spotted her grandfather. The man whom he was talking with was hidden from her view. His back was towards her as her grandfather was facing towards her and the stairs.  
Sarai swiftly approached her grandfather whispering into his ear, "What are you doing? We can't afford this drinking!" Sarai stood straight and smiled at the man, who was now easier to look at. He was quite big and lanky. His hair was black, and he had an earring in his ear.  
"Oh Sarai, dear, this is George. George this is my granddaughter Sarai." The man stood and held out his large hand. She slowly shook it at raised an eyebrow at her grandfather.  
"Your dear old grandfather here was just telling me of the reason why you are here in Tortall. What a dreadful thing, storm wiping out your home and killing your livestock. What a tragedy." Sarai barely held her smile, she looked at her grandfather as George took a swig from her drink, and he gave her wink. Maybe the old man isn't as simple as I had first thought.  
"Yes, it was quite tragic. I am quite disheartened and I still weep for the dear chickens, those stupid creatures." Sarai sat down unceremoniously and took her grandfather's drink. "If I may?" She took a small sip as her grandfather nodded.  
"George has been quite nice, an' bought me a drink to drawn my sadness to." This explained how they could afford the drink. Sarai looked at George anew. She took a closer glance and tried to penetrate deeper. As she called upon her Gift, she could sense a strong barrier behind his eyes. She smiled a little and probed at it. She quickly found a weak spot but didn't penetrate the barrier. She had that much respect to not probe a stranger who had been nice to her grandfather, but one that is so well protected. Sarai surmised that he is not who he says he was.  
"Dear, I be righ' back." Her grandfather rose and headed toward the privy. This left the two alone. Sarai knew that George knew about her probing.  
"So, why did you stop?" This was not what Sarai was expecting. "And don't play coy with me. You are quite powerful, and well spoken. Did your grandfather speak right, that the two of you are just farmers?" George played with his mug as Sarai tried to collect her scattered wits.  
"Yes, we are farmers. The reason I stopped was because I was only seeing if you were a danger to my grandfather and I. Someone so protected should be respected, since you are obviously not who you say you are. I would suggest someone of more importance, but then, I wont speak it aloud for fear of unwanted ears listening." Sarai flashed her eyes at the maid who had led her down here. She was too close for comfort, and was in jeopardy of showing that she was indeed spying. George raised an eyebrow showing that he had not noticed the woman.  
"You and I should talk more. But I see that you are correct." George looked at her hard, and she knew that was now trying to probe her. Sarai knew that her Gift was quite different than anyone she had known, and that her barriers are stronger. But the thing that scares her then most about her Gift is that she doesn't know how to control it.  
George looked kind of envious as he sat back in his chair. It was just then that her grandfather returned and the maid scurried away. "You have a intelligent granddaughter here sir. Don't let her get into the wrong hands." George stood and stretched. In the light Sarai could see some gray hair at his temples. "I will pay for the drinks, but I must say that I have to call it a night. I leave early tomorrow morning to return home." George waved and left.  
"What was tha' aboot?" Her grandfather asked, but all Sarai did was shake her head at the retreating back of George. 


End file.
